1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cooking appliances, and more particularly to a reminder system for ovens, such as convection ovens.
2. Description of Related Art
Convection ovens use heated air that is forced into the oven by fans located in the back of the oven. By moving heated air past the food, convection ovens can perform cooking functions more quickly and at a lower temperature than standard conventional ovens. With a convection oven, there will be about a 25% to 30% decrease in cooking temperature and a 20% decrease in cooking time as compared to a conventional oven. Convection ovens are frequently used in industrial and commercial applications. However, convection ovens are often used for cooking food.
One advantage of convection ovens is that they provide efficient cooking of food. However, most recipes are written for conventional ovens. If a recipe designed for a conventional oven is strictly followed when using a convection oven, the food is likely to be overcooked. A user could adjust oven cook time and temperature by hand. However, such tasks could be burdensome and lead to miscalculations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,756,970 discloses a convection oven capable of converting conventional oven cook times and temperatures to convection oven cook times and temperatures. Food type is one of the parameters used in the conversion algorithm. However, different recipes within a food type could each have different optimal cook times. For example, different cookie recipes could each have different optimal cook times within the food type “baked goods.” The reference does not address variations in optimal cook times for different recipes within a food type. If the optimal cook time is less than the convection-converted cook time, overcooked food could result.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,777,651 discloses a convection oven that performs a rapid cook time calculation. This calculation is performed when a standard cook time, entered by a user, exceeds a predetermined amount. Also disclosed is signaling the user when the rapid cook time has elapsed without stopping the cooking process. The reference does not address repeated, periodic prompting of the user to check on the food.
Therefore, a need exists for a simple convection oven control system for repeatedly and periodically prompting or reminding a user to check on cooking food so that an optimal cooking time is not exceeded.